Open thread, Sept. 1-7, 2014

polymathwannabe

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If it's worth saying, but not worth its own post (even in Discussion), then it goes here.

Notes for future OT posters:

1. Please add the 'open_thread' tag.

2. Check if there is an active Open Thread before posting a new one.

3. Open Threads should be posted in Discussion, and not Main.

4. Open Threads should start on Monday, and end on Sunday.

Are you saying that rich people shouldn't feel deserving of their wealth? How is it better if they feel guilty?

A just-world-based culture where you show off your success is treating the fact of your success as evidence that you are virtuous and deserve that success. This doesn't follow, and in practice has bad results.

Also, it is better if they feel guilty, because they might do something useful with their money to assuage their consciences.

2gjm12y

"Deserve" has two meanings. Strong: It would be unjust for me not to have X. Weak: It would not be unjust for me to have X. Some people clearly strongly-deserve to be rich (e.g., Norman Borlaug). Some clearly don't even weakly-deserve to be rich (e.g., a very successful thief). It's plausible that many (most?) rich people fall in the middle. The literal religious "prosperity gospel", and its various secular parallels, tell rich people they strongly-deserve to be rich: God has made them so and God's judgement is impeccable, or The Market has made them so and is the only meaningful way to answer the question of where the money should go, or whatever. One can feel queasy about this while also saying that most rich people weakly-deserve their wealth and needn't feel guilty about it.